PS4 Equivalent PC Hardware Build

What it Takes to Build a PS4 Equivalent PC

Many PC Gamers are asking how to build a PS4 equivalent PC since the Playstation 4 reveal during E3 2013. We’ve been sitting back and watching as the community fought back and forth over which was better, and which was cheaper. Tired of watching countless hours of bickering between both the informed and the ignorant, I decided to do a bit of research myself. In the mass of text below, I’ll explain what it takes to build a Playstation 4 equivalent PC, and what it’ll cost you.

Comparing the PS4 Hardware to Equivalent PC Hardware

To get started on our PS4 equivalent PC, lets first take a look at what the PS4 has in terms of hardware.

8-Core Jaguar CPU

1.84 TFLOPS GPU. (HD7870 Equivalent)

8GB GDDR5

500GB HDD

Blu-Ray/DVD Drive

While these aren’t necessarily the meat and potatoes, it’s important we look at the features provided as well. These will affect our build decisions and our cost.

OS

802.11 b/g/n WiFi

Bluetooth

USB 3.0

I could dive deeper into the unique architecture in the PS4, however there is no PC equivalent hardware out there. So we’ll just leave it at that for now, and attempt to match the PS4 in terms of PC hardware.

The PS4 Equivalent PC Hardware

8-Core Jaguar CPU

Choosing a PS4 equivalent PC CPU is extremely difficult. There just isn’t a 8 Core APU out there, not to mention PC’s aren’t optimized for 8 threads. To stay in line with the AMD processors, we’re going to recommend the FX-8320. It’s the a step down from the top of the line FX-8350, however it can kick out very similar performance. At the cost to performance ratio, we think little improvement will be seen with the 8350 and we get to save a few dollars.

The decision for the PS4 equivalent GPU is rather simple. Since the integrated graphics is equivalent to a HD7870, we will be choosing the close equivalent in the R7 270.

Current Price:

8GB GDDR5

The PS4 is unique in its usage of GDDR5 memory. We really can’t compare that to a standard computer, so we’ll stick with DDR3 for now. Consoles and PCs have split paths in the way they utilize hardware, and it’s not that either one is better, they are just designed differently for their application. Don’t think GDDR5 is necessarily going to be better than DDR3, it’s just used in a completely different manner on the PS4 then it is on a PC.

Since we’re looking at mass storage here and not necessarily speed, we’ll be picking up a 7200 RPM HDD. It’s nothing fancy, but it will get the job done. Toss in a SSD here if you want raw performance.

We’re left with the “others”. For arguments sake, we’ll say the OS is linux and is free of charge. The rest however will depend on the motherboard. Now, you could purchase a motherboard with built-in wifi , or you can purchase one with an adapter, the choice is completely up to you. Since everyone is different, we went with an adapter and a motherboard. We choose the ASRock 960GM/U3S3 for the sake it has 2 USB 3.0 ports, and supports our DDR3 to its 1600Mhz, and the Rosewill Wifi adapter is cheap and simple enough for anyone to use.

A power supply is another subjective item. It’s up to you on what you want to buy, or not buy. Here we decided to go with a 500W 80+ certified Silverstone PSU. It’s nothing fancy, but its capable of handling our hardware we picked for the PS4 equivalent PC build.

So What’s the Total Cost to Build a PS4 Equivalent PC?

Without counting the cost of a case or peripherals, it will cost $729.07 to build a PS4 equivalent PC. However, with a computer you’ll have no restrictions and unlimited possibilities. Since you can’t stick a value on that, it’s a little more difficult to justify the extra cost. But, many gamers today are looking to build gaming rigs similar to next generation consoles and this one is a good start.

In the end, hardware specs are somewhat meaningless. There just isn’t a right or wrong way to build a console or a gaming PC. It’s all up to what you want to use it for, and how it has been optimized.

Also note that other parts go on sale or you may have access to discounts not every one such as if you live close to the Microcenter you usually can get good prices on CPU/Mobo combos ect.